The Price of Sin
by TheGreatChickenbone
Summary: To start with, he was only trying to do the right thing. In the end, he fell for that which could ruin him. How could he ever be innocent in the eyes of the other shinigami now? Following the Campania.Will be continued in the near future.


AN: So back a while ago a friend and I were trying to come up with a 'what if' scenario on how Undertaker would escape the Campania (this was before he jumped overboard or whatever) and she said a hot air balloon. So therefore, I used the idea of the hot air balloon, all credit for that there goes to her. I've been wanting to write this for a very, very long time.~

There will be William x Grell, I feel I must warn you. Hints of Grell x Madam Red.

There might actually be other pairings along the way. I like to throw others around and I have future chapters written and I can see things happening.

I don't own Kuroshitsuji, now read onward~!

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><p>This was a bit of a predicament indeed. Having all three of these guys wanting to get their hands on him. One who really did want to kill him and two others who would want to take him back to the shinigami world, not a place he intended to go back to. Though, scared was the furthest thing from his mind at what he was feeling with the moment. It was actually so very amusing to have them all wanting him in some way or another because of his actions. Afraid of dying wasn't a problem with him and Undertaker honestly doubted they would win against him anyways especially with the constant bickering that was going on among the three of them. It was like an all out battle where no one was on the same side. Of course the two shinigami were, but they didn't seem to agree with each other about everything either and were a bit unsure of their actions, at least it seemed.<p>

The reason why sneaking away was such an option was because the Undertaker wasn't finished with his experiments yet. There was so much more he wanted to do with them and it didn't seem it was a very fair advantage considering he didn't expect other beings besides humans and his 'dolls' to be on the ship and trying to fight them off. That didn't prove one thing to him, not one bit.

A chuckle escaped his lips before they turned into a small bout of giggles with how the three that were supposed to be after him seemed to be unsure if they wanted to just finish each other off or go straight for the problem itself, which happened to be Undertaker of course. What a sad bunch, but at least they were amusing with the way they were reacting to what they found out. With the two shinigami and the demon at each others' throats was the prefect way to escape away from the fight to head out to the hot air balloon he had stored away, not expecting for this ship to last all the way to land anyways.

Undertaker had no doubts he'd get away one way or another, but there was also the fact that not all on the ship were planned to be dead, no... it would be a total shame if he were to allow someone like the Viscount Druitt to end up in the lot of dead bodies everywhere. With the queens watchdog and that butler of his on the ship, he doubted he even had to worry about that if they would just leave Druitt alone. People were going to end out alive after all and Undertaker planned to be one of them.

The hot air balloon was already starting to fill up with the gas it needed for his escape, expanding out the large balloon more and more as he got into the basket. As long as no one were to notice him he was going to get out of there. He wasn't finished with his work for these dolls after all and there was just so much more he was wanting to do with his experiments.

Among the three others fighting, he did not expect to have any of them to find out he wasn't there, unless it was Sebastian of course. The demon seemed to be more observant than the shinigami, which both seemed a bit air-headed - not that he could really judge them on their technique based on that, Undertaker knew that by experience for himself. He wasn't one to be anything like what others thought.

It was amazing how the little earl didn't even catch on to his escape and warn the demon about it. Of course, when Undertaker was pulling in the ropes that were holding the balloon down, he realized that there was someone that was after him. The undertaker grinned back at the red headed shinigami that followed him, amusement obvious on his face.

That was not expected at all and he was actually pleased to see that getting away wasn't so easy. This was the most excitement he had the pleasure of getting in a long time, "I underestimated you, didn't I?" Though, he hadn't won yet... he hadn't managed to catch him and as long as William didn't show up, he doubted Grell could really do anything about him in the position they were in. It was rather hard to concentrate on a fight in the air after all, he was sure that Grell didn't want to get his pretty little self wet.

"You see, things didn't go the way I planned. I really didn't expect shinigami to try and kill that which didn't have a soul... and much less the wretched queen's little servant. Why would I stick around when there was little chance of me finishing my experiment and without someone interfering?"

Undertaker pulled the last rope free from the ship and the balloon started floating higher. He laughed as he walked over to the edge looking down at the shinigami, "do you plan on amusing me more?"

"Seems like a lot of people do," Grell replied with a smirk as he watched the ropes coming loose. Despite what Undertaker wanted to think about Grell not following the red shinigami was not about to let this opportunity slip away. William was not too pleased with covering up Grell's biggest mistakes lately, leaving him in very bad favor. Really, all Grell wanted to do was please William and getting his hands on Undertaker and capturing him to take him back to the shinigami realm should have been the best way to do that.

"I do, my dear Undertaker. You see, I cannot return to Will without you," the distance the balloon was now making without the ropes and weights did not matter at all. Being the shinigami he was, Grell didn't doubt he'd make it when he jumped from the edge of the ship and up into the basket. He frowned as the basket rocked a bit, gripping onto the edge to try and keep his balance. "There's a bit of a problem with your theory. I guess things are more advanced than when you were around - or maybe Will is just that much of a workaholic, but he noticed right away that there were bodies walking around that were not supposed to have souls. Poor little Ronald got blamed for not collecting them right, but it was all your fault."

"You're looking out for him then?" Undertaker's grin only widened as he looked back over at Grell. There was only a small distance between them due to the fact that the basket wasn't all that big, it wouldn't be hard at all to just end it there (unless he was _really_ underestimating Grell). "That's funny considering you just left him down there with a demon that I'm sure will be _way_ too much for him."

"I'm sure darling Sebastian is more focused on getting his little master off the ship more than worrying about Ronald. He'll make it out of there. I can't promise the same for you right now though," despite his words, Grell made no move to attack and instead rather carelessly had his scythe down by his side as he shifted his weight and cocked his hip. His eyes were narrowed, looking back at Undertaker with a dangerous glint in them. His smirk making it obvious he was looking to play around rather than take it serious.

"Ah, it really wouldn't bother you to spill the blood of your own kind, would it? You did do it to the poor human you claimed you loved, no?" It was very obvious Grell took it as the insult it was supposed to be, causing Undertaker to chuckle as he watched the way Grell's smirk suddenly turned to a frown.

"You're a traitor. It would only please me to cut you down," he gripped his death scythe tighter, but it was only a mere moment before he was back to smirking again and acting as if it didn't faze him despite the look that was in his eyes that showed how much he hated that being put into his face. "Of course, you're not weak like she was. Now are you?"

"How cruel you are..." he shook his head, waving one of his fingers at Grell with mock disappointment, "it makes or breaks a shinigami, doesn't it? To feel no remorse for any soul helps one carry on with his job, but it surely as time passes killing becomes more appealing. The later is what happened to you with that woman?"

"No! You don't understand," Grell gritted his teeth down as he glared back at the older shinigami. No one back at dispatch was able to understand either. They never did get how Grell felt - how strongly what those women had been doing affected him. Nor could he ever describe how he felt for Madam Red.

How dare he even compare their crimes? It was nothing alike. Though in some way it could have been. Who knew how it could have been if Grell had never got caught? If there was never any problem, any interference from his beloved 'demon' and that brat, or William looking for him? What he had done had emotional reasoning to himself, what that old shinigami had been doing just seemed disgusting with no reason than sick experimentation.

"I wouldn't say that," he shook his head before he moved away from 'his' side of the basket and closer to Grell. The red haired shinigami flinched back and away from the hand that reached out to him, the cold chill of Undertaker's fingers brushing over his cheek. He didn't even realize before that he had tears running down them. Grell suddenly became self-conscious about his make up running and reached up to make sure but his hand was caught in the process.

"It was a personal reason. I know and though you will never get my intentions mine was too. Unlike the lot of you shinigami I do care about humans..." there was one in particular that he thought of first.

Undertaker pulled his hand away from Grell's and turned away, returning to the other side once more and sitting down on the bench around the edges. It covered around the entire circumference, minus where the gate was. The only thing Grell was able to do was stand there, feeling a bit stunned and unsure of himself. Slowly he reached up and rubbed at his eyes carefully and was thankful that there seemed to be no make up running.

Turning his attention back to the eccentric shinigami in front of him, he frowned, "you wanted to make them live forever? Do you honestly feel that bad for them? They are such dirty creatures," his voice was soft though as if he was really meaning to simply inquire about how Undertaker's meaning was so strong.

"Then you must have not really loved that woman enough to understand. Don't tell me a shinigami like you has never really loved before? Isn't that what you want most?"

Grell felt as if those eyes of the older shinigami were looking right into him and the curve of Undertaker's lips made it all the more obvious. If only the other knew the half of it or even would begin to understand what he had felt exactly and why he felt the need to do what he had done. It was an impulsive thing that he regretted ever so often when he really thought about, but then again so was the entire ordeal. William wouldn't even look at him after what had happened. It was hard to even get his attention now and it seemed it just tripled the abuse he got. Though he pretended not to mind, he was really hurt by the fact that things had changed between them so greatly over the course of the time Grell had been gone with that human woman.

Things just seemed to keep wedging between them more and more. At one point he had thought it would be alright, it seemed rather perfectly numbing to just have William at a close distance and every once in a while seeing that ever so slightly different side of him. Grell was at fault that things kept going wrong though, he knew he was. He had grown so bored with the dull work; the constant wanting to be a bit closer and knowing he never could. He wanted a change and a change he took. He ran away for a while, thinking it would just do him some good. It, like everything else he did, was made on an impulsive decision. He met that woman, the beautiful Madam Red while he was on a collection, collecting none-other than one of those bodies she had so brutally taken care of.

The crime had struck a cord in him, something reminding him of the unnerving fact that he couldn't have what he wanted because of what he was. It was going to be something he would just ignore like everything else he did that struck the same pain in him. It was until he saw the _that_ woman. It wasn't real love, despite the fact that he had truly, with all his might, tried to believe. It was a shared interest, something to waste time with, something that would give him the change he wanted from the boring, drab office. Most importantly, she wasn't William. He felt the need to just defend it when someone made a comment and he wasn't even sure why.

Then doing that, helping with the murders, it drug him right into the path of meeting Sebastian. Damn, Sebastian! How could he resist? There was charm in that demon, he swore there was. There was personality in Sebastian much different than William. All the things he used to take his mind off of William only lead him to a deeper hole then he had started off with!

Though Grell would never admit it, Undertaker was right. Love was what he wanted most. Though, he had this awful habit of getting bored and not ever finding the right thing to keep his interest going and no matter how it was looked at, there was never really anyone to make him feel like caring enough for it to be love. Except perhaps William, but even then...

A pitiful sigh left him and he found himself not having the strength to stand any longer. He thought hard about sitting down, but it just didn't happen in the way he wanted it to. He couldn't bring himself to move to sit on the bench. He wanted away, back home... he wanted to be done with this assignment and feel normal. There was no room to have something picking at his emotional wounds open. It was easy for him to pretend they were nothing and to just keep going on with other things if he worked or daydreamed or did something else. He just didn't want to face them.

"Damn you..." voice weak, it was still full of disdain even in that moment if he looked like he couldn't hate anything or feeling anything more than that empty void that suddenly ate at him. "You're going back to dispatch rather you like it or not. I don't care how I have to do it!"

"You're threatening me when you can't even get back home from here?"

Like everything else their place of entry and leave of the human domain had to be approved if it was not done in the designated spots for any normal outing. It definitely meant the only way Grell would have been able to get back to dispatch was to have exited from the spot he had approved back on the ship. Now he was going to have to find his way back to London and go from one of the original designated areas. Openings done by approvals was another reason why time was so important to them. It opened and closed depending on what was stated in the paper they had to fill out. This was one of those times he wished William would know where he was and come looking.

"Where is this thing supposed to be taking us anyway?" Grell asked, trying his best to just push the rest of the things bothering him away and crossing his arms as he looked back at Undertaker. It was getting cold and he didn't like that. It meant standing there with the wind blowing on him was just making it worse.

"That really just depends on the wind," the reply wasn't one Grell wanted to hear. Undertaker grinned back as he said it, knowing it wasn't.

"What if we land in the water!"

"It wont," he sounded so matter of fact with the way he said it, like he knew about these things for sure. Grell knew nothing about hot air balloons though so it wasn't like he could argue and make a point if he was wrong. "Are you getting cold?~ Perhaps you should come over here."

All the red shinigami could do was look back at the other, trying to manage a glare, but everything just felt so agonizing. He was doing this for William's attention and William's attention was not something he could obtain. Not in the right way. The weight seemed to push on him more as he felt the anxiety of the thought. Perhaps Undertaker did understand. There was suddenly the feeling of all the distressing loneliness just leaving him. He needed comfort and comfort was just right there, sitting only a few feet away. There was something shared between them, even if Grell didn't want to admit it at first.

"Come here, you look like you're going to pass out. You're awfully pale..."

Grell felt nauseous. Maybe it was just the cold that affected him so much though, he was sure that there was no way any emotion could make him feel so drained. What if he gave in? What would happen if he for some reason couldn't bring himself to make the faint comfort he needed to go away? William... surely there would be even worse punishment for being friendly with the enemy. Slowly, heavily, he brought himself to move and sit down next to the other shinigami.

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><p>Reviews are always loved.<p> 


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